Hopkins daycare killings were detailed in a Hennepin County search warrant released Thursday, which states a man fatally attacked his wife and 7-year-old daughter inside a home-based childcare facility before killing himself.
The warrant identifies the man as Nathan Brown, 41, and the victims as his wife, 41-year-old Kristen Brown, and their daughter, Evie Brown. According to the filing, the attack occurred Wednesday morning in the basement of the family’s Hopkins residence, where Kristen Brown operated her daycare. Investigators said Nathan Brown then went upstairs and died by a self-inflicted gunshot in a closet.
Hopkins police said the investigation remains open.
According to police records, a father dropping off two children heard screams from the basement and went inside. He initially believed Nathan Brown was administering CPR, then realized it was an assault. The witness called 911 and fled with his children and two others.
Authorities said Wednesday they believe Nathan Brown also killed a 78-year-old relative at her home in Burnsville, about 20 miles from Hopkins. Investigators said he had recently been living at that address. Officials have not released the woman’s name or her relationship to Brown.
The warrant also notes that a parent told investigators Kristen Brown had recently notified families that the daycare would soon close due to “relationship issues with Nathan.”
Six other children were present during the incident, according to authorities, but none were physically injured. Officials have not discussed a possible motive and said there were no prior police calls to the Hopkins address.
State records show Kristen Brown had been licensed since 2019. The daycare, with a licensed capacity of 10 children, was found in compliance during inspections in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Relatives of Kristen Brown declined to comment Thursday.
Kristen Brown launched Brown Bear Childcare a few months after Evie’s birth. In a 2019 social media post, she wrote that she hoped to help her daughter and other children “blossom into happy, intelligent, caring individuals.” Her daycare page said she held a bachelor’s degree in elementary education foundations from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and was certified in vision therapy. She incorporated music and cooking into daily activities and organized field trips to a science museum and an orchard.
Hopkins daycare killings investigation continues
Authorities have not released additional details about what preceded the violence. Hopkins police asked anyone with information to contact investigators.
Editor’s note: This report includes discussion of suicide. In the United States, help is available by calling or texting 988, or via online chat at 988lifeline.org.
For coverage of another recent homicide case, see Nick Reiner indicted in parents’ Brentwood stabbing deaths.